Pouch-transferring means.



. v PATENTED APR. 4, 1905. J. ROMBAGH. POUCH TRANSFBRRING MEANS.

APPLIGATION PILED OOT. 2'7, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 786,519. IPATENTED APR. 4, 1905.

' J. ROMBAOH. POUCH TRANSFERRING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 27,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

witmeooe a Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ROMBAOH, OF WESTON, VEST VIRGINIA.

POUCH-TRANSFERRING MEANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,519, dated April 4, 1905.

Application filed October 27, 1904. Serial No. 230,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN RoMBAcI-I, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Weston, in the county of Lewis and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Pouch- Transferring Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for effecting the transfer of mailpouches between stations and moving trains.

One of the objects is to provide novel means of a simple nature for more efiectually securing the exchange of the pouches so as to avoid the danger of their falling beneath the wheels of the train, with the consequent destruction of or injury to their contents.

Another object is to provide means which can be placed farther from the car than those now in general use, need not be held by the mail clerk, and will not be a material hindrance to the escape of the clerks from the car in case of accident.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a mail-car, showing the transferring mechanism just prior to the exchange of pouches. Fig. 2 is a similar view just after the exchange of pouches.

Similar reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in both the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated the car,which may be' of any ordinary or well-known form, is shown generally at 3 and has the usual doorway 4. Across this doorway is mounted the portion of the means which is carried by the car. Said means consists of a supporting bar or rod 5, journaled in any suitable manner as, for. instance, as shown at 6to the car on opposite sides of the doorway. The support-' ing-rod carries an outstanding bracket consisting of a body portion 7, provided with a forwardly and outwardly extending arm 8 and braces 9, one of said braces projecting from the body portion 7, the other extending rearwardly from the outer portion of the arm 8. These braces are connected at their outer ends and carry rearwardly-extending pouchsupporting fingers 10, adapted to receive between them and hold an ordinary mail-pouch, which is indicated in dotted lines at 11.

Between the supporting-bar 5 and the forwardly-extending arm 8 is located the pouchreceiving means, consisting of spaced yielding jaws, preferably, though not necessarily, constructed of a single strip of spring metal. As shown in the drawings, this strip has one terminal 12 secured to the supporting-bar 5 in advance of the bracket, the terminal portion extending outwardly from the supporting-bar and being then doubled into a forwarclly extending bill 13. A rearwardly-extending loop from this bill forms jaws 14, which are preferably secured, or at least bear against, the body portion 7 of the bracket, as shown at 15. The outer terminal 16 of the strip constituting the front end of the outer jaw 15 is slidably mounted in an eye 17, located at the front end of the arm 8.

When not in use, of course the transferring means can be dropped to a substantially vertical position, but when in operative relation projects outwardly in a substantially horizontal position from the car. For the purpose of holding it in this position mechanical means are employed in the form of a suspended positioning device comprising slidablytelescoped sections 18 and 19, the upper being pivotally supported, as shown at 20, to the top frame of the doorway and the lower section being held in extended relation by means of a set-screw 21. The lower end of the lower section is provided with a stirrup portion 22, that is arranged to straddle a handle 23, carried by the supporting-rod. When not in use, the positioning device may be secured out of .the way by means of aclip 24, arranged at the side of the doorway.

The track-side transferring means, which .coacts with that above described, consists of a suitable standard or post 25, located at a suitable distance from the tracks and having upper and lower brackets 26 and 27, that incline inwardly toward the track and toward each other. To the free end of the upper track is secured a spacing-block 28, to the opposite edges of which are fastened spaced supporting-rods 29, extending transversely of said bracket and beyond the opposite sides of the same, the free ends of said rods being outwardly turned, as shown at 30. The lower bracket 27 also carries a spacing-block 31 and spaced parallel rods 32, secured to the spacing-block and bracket, and extending on opposite sides of the same constitute pouch-receiving jaws, the free ends of said rods being outturned, as shown at 33. Between these upper and lower sets of rods the car-carried mechanism is adapted to pass. The pouch which is to be transferred from the station to the car is hung between the rearwardly-extending ends of the upper rods 29, as indicated in dotted lines at 34 in l. v

It is believed that the operation of the structure can now be readily comprehended. Before the car reaches the station the clerk places the pouch 11 to be transferred between the lingers 10, then swings the car-carried mechanism forwardly and holds it by the means described. At the station the pouch 34 to be transferred to the car has been placed in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. It will thus be seen that as the car-carried mechanism passes the track-side mechanism the jaws 14 of the former. passing between the upper and lower sets of rods, will catch the pouch 34: and hold the same, while the pouch 11 will be received between the forward] y-pro'iecting jaws 32. Thus the exchange is readily made. The jaws 14 may be made a sufficient size to receive a number of pouches, all of which will be held because of the yielding of the same, which will serve to properly maintain said jaws in engagement with the various pouches. Moreover, in this structure the jaws 14 can be placed at any distance desired away from the supporting-rod 5, and consequently away from the car, so that the track-side mechanism may in like manner be located at a comparatively great distance from the trains, avoiding danger to a very material degree. The employment of the means for supporting the car-carried mechanism in operative position is an important feature, not only as it does away with the necessity of the clerks holding the same projected, thereby avoiding jars and shocks, but also the mechanism may be supported horizontally, thus leaving an unobstructed passage beneath the same should it become necessary for the occupants of the car to make a hasty exit in case of accident.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without fur ther description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a supporting bar, of a pouch-receiver carried thereby and comprising yielding jaws that are formed of a strip secured at one end to the bar, having intermediate portions bowed inwardly toward each other, and having their front ends diverging. and means carried by the bar and connected to the rear end of the receiver for supporting the same.

2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a supporting-bar, of a pouch-receiver comprising jaws formed of a yielding strip, one end of said strip being secured to the bar, the portion adjacent to said end being doubled into a forwardly-extending bill, and the portion connected to said bill being rearwardly looped into spaced pouch-receiving jaws.

3. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with asupporting-bar having an outstanding bracket, of a pouclrreeeiver comprising jaws formed of a yielding strip, one end of said strip being secured to the bar, a portion adjacent to said end being doubled into a forwardly and inwardly extending bill, and the portion connected to said bill being rearwardly looped into spaced inwardlybowed pouch-receiving jaws which engage the bracket at their rear ends.

4. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a supporting-bar having an outstanding bracket, of a forwardly-extending arm carried by the bracket in spaced relation to the arm, and pouch-receiving jaws located between the arm and bar one of said jaws being rigidly connected to the bar and the other having an engagement with the bracket.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a supporting-bar having an outstanding bracket, of a forwardly-extending arm carried by the bracket, and a pouchreceiver comprising jaws, the inner of which is rigidly carried by the bar, the outer being capable of yielding and being slidably associated at its front end with the arm.

6. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a supporting-bar, of a forwardly-extending arm having connections with the supporting-bar and provided at its front end with an eye, and pouch-receiving jaws disposed between the bar and arm, the inner of said jaws being secured to the bar, the outer being of a yielding nature, inwardly bowed and having a free end slidably engaging in the eye. I

7. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a supporting-bar, of an out standing bracket carried thereby and consisting of a body portion, rearwardly-extending pouch-supporting lingers, angular brace-rods connecting the same and the bracket, a for- ICC wardly-projecting arm carried by the bracket, and pouch-receiving jaws disposed between the arm and supporting-rod and connected with the bracket.

8. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a swinging pouch-receiver having a handle portion, of a suspended positioning device hung from its upper end having means at its lower free end for engaging the handle portion of the receiver to hold said receiver in operative position.

9. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a swinging pouch-receiver having a handle portion, of an extensible positioning device having means for engaging the handle portion to hold the receiver in operative position.

10. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a swinging pouch-receiver, of a positioning device comprising slidablytelescoped sections, means for pivotally securing the upper section to a car, and a stirrup portion carried by the lower section and arranged to engage the pouch-receiver to hold the same in operative position.

11. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with pouch -transferring means, of devices for securing the same to a car, and track-side transferring means coacting there with, said latter means comprising an upright standard, upper and lower brackets secured to the standard and inclining toward each other, and spaced rods fastened transversely to the free ends of the brackets and extending beyond the opposite sides of the same, said rods having outturnecl free terminals.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ROMBAOH.

\Vitnesses:

TROXELL, A. A. hIcCLAIN. 

